With the White House years behind her, the former first lady made her boldest fashion choice yet.

Michelle Obama’s sparkly Balenciaga boots trended on social media and are nearly sold out.Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

In one appearance, Michelle Obama did for Balenciaga boots what it took a hit TV show for Sarah Jessica Parker to do for Manolo Blahniks. During the most recent stop on the book tour for her bestselling memoir Becoming, the former first lady dropped by Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Wednesday night for a discussion with Parker.

While the Sex and the City star was clad in a holiday-appropriate sequin dress, Obama’s sparkly $3,900 Balenciaga boots got all the attention. In fact, by Thursday afternoon, the boots were trending on Twitter and were nearly sold out on the Balenciaga website.

With Parker, Obama discussed the significance of her sartorial choices in the White House, acknowledging that she was a fashion influencer and explaining why she chose to wear some designers and not others.

“You learn there are people in this scene who feel entitled to these things because they’ve done it for a while,” Obama told Parker about her interactions with fashion designers. “And I sensed that feeling of, like, ‘Oh, you think this is just yours? There are a lot of people out here trying to make it; young people, women, black folks, and immigrants.’”

Such comments signaled that fashion’s elite thought Obama, raised working class on Chicago’s South Side, simply didn’t understand what was appropriate attire. But the former first lady explained to Parker that she chose to work with designers who treated her staff well and had a “good spirit.” She finally wore an Oscar de la Renta gown in 2014 to a fashion education workshop she hosted at the White House.

Obama told Parker that during her time as first lady she learned that “fashion does have meaning.” To many people, what she wore carried as much significance as what she said or did. It’s a lesson that Melania Trump is still learning. But now that she’s no longer in the White House, Obama is able to let loose, as shown by her thigh-high Balenciaga boots.

Obama made a point to buy all of the clothes she wore as first lady, but that likely wouldn’t have mitigated criticism of such an extravagant pair of boots. Wearing the Balenciagas while in the White House likely would have led to charges of insensitivity, as many Americans don’t even earn $3,900 in a month.